Both incidents were filed by the Environment Protection Agency as major spills, which means more than 250 barrels of oil were released in each. The spills are quite small in the grand scheme of things, but are enough to raise arguments for and against both forms of transportation.

Opposition is widespread and vocal toward pipelines, particularly the proposed Keystone XL that is some nine times larger than the one that leaked in Arkansas. But it is precisely the delay in approving such projects that means more and more crude is now getting moved around North America by rail.

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The fact of the matter is that oil needs to be transported so we can use it. And pipelines are the safest way to transport oil, with the lowest spill rate of any form of conveyance. Currently in the U.S., there are 170,000 miles of pipeline transporting 11.3 billion barrels of petroleum products each year, with only 0.7 incidents per 1,000 miles of pipeline from 2006 to 2008. In addition, 80% of pipeline spills involve less than 50 barrels of oil, with most involving less than three.

In regards to the spill in Arkansas, it’s important to remember that the Keystone XL pipeline is unrelated and the two issues should not be confused. It’s unwise to use a single accident as a means to change our entire national energy strategy. The Keystone XL pipeline is perhaps the most studied trans-border pipeline in history, with more than 50 safety standards that go above the legal requirements, next-generation pipeline technology and a 24-7 monitoring system.

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